Let’s face it, medical websites are all the same: bland, tacky, nearly identical representations of practices across the country that have been told, “you really need a (better) website.” In fact, many of the websites are indistinguishable from one another since both the design and the content originate from medical website templates that only require practitioners to swap in their contact info and photos. Cheap? Yes. Effective? Not even close—and in many cases, clinics would alienate fewer patients by not having a website and just using a local business listing.
Why Create Unique Content?
Regularly creating unique content for various medical practices is proven to boost rankings on search engine result pages (SERPs) and, in turn, attract more patients through the website. Unique content also positions your practice above those that only use template content or even duplicate content. In addition, your website often makes its first impression on potential patients; lack of investment in digital marketing can lead users to conclude that your practice may be cutting corners elsewhere as well. A sharp, clean design coupled with well-written, unique content can go a long way to increase transparency and build your brand.
Here are seven ideas for creating unique content.
Write about staff
Include content that focuses on physicians, and even prominent staff members. This could be content nested within a ‘Team’ page, or even on the ‘Blog’ or ‘Service’ landing pages, depending on the material. Content could be general biographical information, but consider going one step further and adding:
Routine Q&A sessions with physicians about trending topics within their specialty. If certain topics are discussed that pertain to services offered, the content can be linked to from the related service page.
Personal details about a physician or key staff member (e.g. family life, hometown, hobbies, etc.).
Content focusing on awards, accolades, and community involvement of physicians.
Give Opinions on Trending Topics
Is there something in the news that relates to your specialty? Talk about it! If the topic is controversial (we all know that in the medical community, topics can be polarizing issues), ensure you’re tactful and not alienating your potential audience. State and source the facts to set up the scene, and then differentiate yourself by injecting the expertise of physicians and specialists to boost authority and brand recognition.
Use In-House Data to Create Infographics
While creating custom, in-house graphics from your own data can be more time consuming than written material, they are much more likely to be shared and spread throughout the medical community. Some ideas would be:
Statistics breaking down reasons for patient visits and common symptoms;
Breaking down research hours for your physicians (monthly/yearly);
Results of patient surveys; and
Technological investments and innovations at the practice.
Seasonal Content
Pay close attention to upcoming holidays and seasons to create content aimed at what customers will be searching for during those times. For example:
Are the summers unreasonably hot or the winters unbearably cold where you live? Create timely posts targeting your location with some common issues: “Tips to stay cool in the Texas heat,” or “How to keep warm on the coldest Vermont nights.”
For an event or holiday, try to differentiate the content from just a general “Happy Holidays from ” Loop in issues or problems your practice can solve or offer poignant tips: “10 ways to stay safe this holiday season” or “What is all that Halloween candy doing to your children’s teeth?”
Create an eBook or Whitepaper
If you have been creating original content for a while, it may be a good idea to gather some articles and blogs about a similar topic and group them into an eBook or a whitepaper (e.g. “Our Comprehensive Guide to Sports Medicine/Injuries,” or “Stay Heart-Healthy”).
Patient Testimonials
One type of content that speaks for itself is the patient testimonial. Solid testimonials provide relatable content for current and potential patients to build trust in your practice and overcome skepticism. Good testimonials don’t come off as “salesly.” They’re honest and they directly identify benefits your practice provides. “I love this doctor. 10/10!” isn’t a good testimonial. “Dr. Mick is a very attentive and considerate doctor. He sat and listened to my concerns, and provided recommendations that not only worked quickly, but were within my budget.”
Create a Blog Series
A blog series is just like it sounds: a series of blog posts about a certain topic that all link to each other, ideally tagged as a series to allow visitors to quickly locate the entire series of articles. Some general ideas include parenting, nutrition, exercise, vaccinations, sports injuries, sprains and strains, back problems, and technology addiction.
